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Sun Devils Live To See Another Day With 6-2 Win Over Cal State Fullerton

FULLERTON, Calif. - Arizona State junior starting pitcher Erik Averill scattered five hits and one run in seven and two-thirds innings and senior Jeff Larish went 2-for-4 with two RBI to lead the Sun Devils to a 6-2 victory over defending national champion Cal State Fullerton Saturday afternoon at Goodwin Field.

ASU's eighth win in the last nine games pushed the best-of-three Super Regional to a decisive third game to be played Sunday at 3 p.m. The Devils bounced back from a heart-breaking 3-2 loss on Friday night to improve to 38-23 overall. Cal State Fullerton drops to 46-17 on the season. A Postgame coin flip determined that Fullerton will be the home team in Sunday's tilt.

Averill (Orange, Calif.) struck out four and walked three to pick up the win and improve to 10-4 on the season. In two postseason starts this season the junior southpaw is 2-0 with 2.16 ERA in 16.2 innings. Sophomore right-hander Pat Bresnehan (Sherborn, Mass.) gave up three hits and one run over the final 1.1 innings to earn his second save of the year.

Fullerton starter Ryan Schreppel suffered his first loss of the year by giving up three hits and two runs in 6.1 innings. The left-hander struck out two and walked two to fall to 6-1 on the season. Ironically, Schreppel also took the loss in the second game of the 2003 Super Regional against Arizona State to push the series to a third game. Freshman right-hander Wes Roemer was roughed up for three hits and four runs in an inning and a third.

The Sun Devils got on the board first with a single tally in the bottom of the first inning. Junior third baseman Travis Buck (Richland, Wash.) drew a one-out walk, stole his 26th base of the season to move into scoring position, and then scored on a two-out single up the middle by Gosewisch.

After Gosewisch's single, Schreppel retired 13 straight batters until Larish drilled a home run to right field with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. Larish's 20th home run of the season extended ASU's lead to 2-0.

Leading 2-0 through seven inning, the Titans finally got on the board with a two-out RBI single by second baseman Justin Turner. With the bases loaded, CSF tried a trick play where the runner at second base purposely falls down to try to draw a throw and bring home what would have been the tying run. But, senior catcher Tuffy Gosewisch pump-faked to the middle of the infield and then threw down to third base to pick off the pinch-runner Brandon Tripp.

Leading 2-1, the Sun Devils broke the game open with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. Freshman shortstop Andrew Romine (Lake Forest, Calif.) led off with a triple to right field and scored on a double down the left field line by Larish. After an intentional walk and a sacrifice bunt, Gosewisch was hit in the back to load the bases. Freshman pinch-hitter Eric Sogard (Phoenix, Ariz.) drilled a two-run double to center field for his first career extra base hit. The fourth run of the frame was pushed home on a balk by relief pitcher John Estes.

Bresnehan gave up three straight singles in the ninth that led to a run, but the hard-throwing right-hander battled back to get Titan slugger Sergio Pedroza to ground into a double play and pinch-hitter Evan McArthur to fly out to center field to end the game.

CS Fullerton out-hit ASU 8-6, but the Sun Devils used five extra base hits en route to their fourth victory of the postseason. Larish recorded his 24th multi-hit game of the season and became just the 12th Sun Devil to record 20 home runs in a season.

Game Notes: Sunday's Super Regional final will be played at 3 p.m. and will be televised in Arizona and California on ESPN2... other markets need to check their local listings... ASU has not announced a starting pitcher... Larish hit his 48th career home run, closing to within eight of ASU career record holder Bob Horner... the home run was his sixth in postseason play in his career... junior LHP Brett Bordes made his 34th appearance of the season, moving into a tie for fourth place in the ASU single-season record books with Ryan Bradley (1996) and Kevin Dukes (1981)... his 74 career appearances also move him into a tie for fourth in the career record books with David Cassidy (1986-89) and Ken Hansen (1968-71)... eight of ASU's nine hits in the Super Regional have gone for extra bases (2 HR, 5 2B, 3B).